Interview: Shane Scheel & For The Record Live Ready To Take On TARANTINO & More

Shane Scheel and his live show production company For The Record Live has found their new Hollywood home in The Bourbon Room. With their official re-opening, featuring Shoshana Bean, an impressive success (obvious from the love and applause flowing forth from The Bourbon Room audience.), FTR will follow up with be a concert from Alisan Porter (August 1st), and their new and improved production of TARANTINO LIVE, now TARANTINO LIVE: FOX FORCE FIVE & THE TYRANNY OF EVIL MEN (beginning August 5th). Had the chance to chat with Shane, FTR's executive producer, on FTR staying connected during the pandemic, and their already planned shows and those hoped for scheduling.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Shane!

Thanks, Gil for taking the time to catch up.

You're celebrating The Bourbon Room's grand re-opening July 29th with a show by Shoshana Bean. You've already presented a most entertaining, crazy variety/cabaret show featuring Brian Justin Crum and Katya Zamolodchikova (which I got to totally enjoy!) and a concert by Derek Klena earlier in the month. How was it to physically inhabit The Bourbon Room after all these quarantined months?

I LOVED Brian and Katya's variety show, and am very excited to bring them back to The Bourbon Room soon. I was proud to breathe new life into the Bourbon Room with a beautiful community of queer artists. We also had the opportunity to bring 2021 Tony nominee Derek Klena home to Los Angeles for our first Broadway style cabaret show. Yes, Shoshana Bean is graciously re-opening the venue this weekend. Shoshana is a central part of my Los Angeles story. When I started UPRIGHT CABARET many years ago, I sent an email to a small group of performers to see if they knew people who would want to be part of a new generation cabaret. Shoshana was the first to respond and introduced me to several of her friends. When she moved to Los Angeles, we started to dream together. It's only appropriate to start my next chapter with this world class artist and dear friend.

Physically producing shows again has been exciting and exhausting at the same time. There's been a bit of whiplash. Going from zero to one hundred so quickly is bound to create a little exhaustion. However, I swore I would never take a LIVE performance for granted again. Nothing but gratitude for artists and audiences coming out to support us.

What have you been doing during these pandemic times to keep creative sane? Morph TARANTINO LIVE into TARANTINO LIVE: FOX FORCE FIVE & THE TYRANNY OF EVIL MEN?

We stayed very busy. A different kind of busy. I know a lot of people felt so much pressure to be creative and pivot. I know I did. There was also pressure to have a company to return to. We are a family business. I'm an incredibly lucky guy to have Anderson Davis, Sumie Maeda and Steve Mazurek helping me navigate through all of the uncertainty. Also a loyal group of friends/colleagues that have supported my crazy dreams for many years. Jesse Vargas, Ben Soldate, Matthew Steinbrenner, Mike Berger, Perry Freeze, Ben Caron, Patrick Mulvey, Edward Allen, and many more all rallied around me as a producer and FTR as an organization.

It is very exciting to return to our roots with a new edition of our TARANTINO show. Pandemic development time certainly allowed time to re-approach the project with a fresh focus.

Did you Zoom a lot to stay in touch with and keep up with your For The Record family's projects?

Zoom is a new four-letter word for me. Although I am grateful for technology, as a live event producer, it was a little extra frustrating to move to a digital world. At the start of the pandemic, the FTR family did a great job of connecting in the virtual realm. We did a FTR family Easter event on Zoom, complete with a bonnet competition. A number of our family members were incredibly productive with digital projects. Over the holidays, we were able to bring together the cast of LOVE, ACTUALLY from their various pandemic locations around the country. We also produced our first film with Shoshana Bean in New York at the Apollo Theater and hosted Zoom discussions following the global premiere with Sara Bareilles and Billy Porter.

Will some of the previous TARANTINO cast be reprising their roles at The Bourbon Room?

Yes! It's thrilling to put the gang back together after the last eighteen months. Making calls to actors to reconnect and offer jobs was a bit surreal. You will definitely see some familiar faces. Tracie Thoms is reprising her role as Jackie. She has been part of the TARANTINO show for eleven years. Dionne Gipson, Lindsey Gort, Janel Parris, Olivia Kuper Harris, Rogelio Douglas Jr. and James Byous have been part of our TARANTINO journey for many years. We are having the best time reminiscing and sharing our wild stories with the new family members including Alice Lee, Gabriela Carrillo, Cheyenne Isabel Wells, Emily Lopez, Zane Carney, Mark Hood, James Carpinello, Wilkie Ferguson and Derek Thomas.

What positives have you seen come out of our year-plus lockdown?

Possibly the only silver lining of the last year was being forced to slow down and "pivot" a bit. We have spent the last decade hustling in Los Angeles and around the world. Anderson Davis (FTR's Artistic Director and my business partner) was able to spend a lot of time developing future project and discussing the kind of company we want to be in the next decade of our journey.

Up next in The Bourbon Room will be a concert by Alisan Porter (August 1st). How does an artist get booked into The Bourbon Room? You initiate the booking? Or does the artist pitches you?

We've had a wonderful few weeks bringing some of my favorite artists (and people) to the Bourbon Room. A few months ago, I sat down with Matt Weaver, Hillary Weaver, Janet Billig Rich and Scott Prisand to plan and dream. The idea is to write our next L.A. chapters together at the Bourbon Room. We want to create an intimate forum for audiences to experience world class artists from many genres. FTR's core has always been the Broadway community, but we've been able to expand that community into the music, film/TV industry. We will be presenting all types of artists over the coming months, from Broadway luminaries to film/TV icons to up and coming local music acts to theatrical nightlife events. At this time, I typically initiate the conversations with artists and start the discussion on what we can do together. We are approaching programming at the Bourbon Room strategically.

For The Record's production of LOVE, ACTUALLY LIVE has been a perennial holiday favorite at The Wallis. Will you stage LOVE, ACTUALLY LIVE at The Bourbon Room this year, or back at The Wallis?

Stay tuned, Gil! Bringing this new L.A. tradition back in 2021 has been a huge priority. I would love nothing more than spending this holiday season with the LOVE, ACTUALLY LIVE cast and sharing this production with the City of Angels.

I interviewed you back in 2019 when you were producing LOVE, ACTUALLY LIVE. Has anyone committed to reprise their LOVE, ACTUALLY LIVE roles?

We love a family reunion.

What other shows is For The Record close to announcing?

After we open TARANTINO, we immediately go into production for a sit-down show in San Francisco. Over the last couple of months, we've started a new Bay Area FTR family. Very excited by the cast we've been able to assemble. Bringing FTR to other cities has been a goal for a long time. Additionally, during the pandemic we developed an education program to complement our 80's BRAT PACK show. Enrollment for the fall semester of BRAT PACK SCHOOL OF POP begins in a couple of weeks. Finally, we are touring Shoshana Bean's SING YOUR HALLELUJAH concert in December. First stop... London.

Do you have a wish list of cabaret performers that you'd love to have appear at The Bourbon Room?

Billy Porter. He was an inspiration to me as a college kid and continues to inspire me twenty years later. He is using his global platform in a beautiful way. I wouldn't mind an intimate evening with Sara Bareilles. When I started producing cabaret shows in L.A., she was playing down at Masquers Cabaret. It would be great to have her at The Bourbon Room. While we are dreaming, I'll add Patty Griffin to that list. Ultimately, I want The Bourbon Room to be a home for artists at all points in their careers. Singer songwriters, indie bands, Broadway stars, comedians, theatrical nightlife performers.

What's in the near future for Shane Scheel?

Carrying 60 tables and 160 chairs up two flights of stairs. Producing is a glamorous sport. The good news, I don't have to go to the gym these days.

Thank you again, Shane! I look forward to experiencing your new and even better TARANTINO!

For tickets for a live performance of TARANTINO LIVE: FOX FORCE FIVE & THE TYRANNY OF EVIL MEN through September 30, 2021; log onto www.tarantinolive.com

To check out my initial interview with Shane, click here.

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